Shadow of my Former Self
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Thought Shadow died at the end of SA2? Think again... but since he's alive... what is he like now? What drives him? Who is he? Will he remember everything that happened this time?


Disclaimer: Shadow the Hedgehog, Maria Robotnik, Dr. Gerald, Amy, and Sonic all belong to SEGA. Marielle and Matthew are my own characters, while Nate Morgan and co are copyright of Archie or Sega.  
  
  
  
On the surface of Mobius, anxious eyes looked skyward. Few people knew of the battle waged overhead, but rather, the relief that it was over. Two people stood silent and watchful, with smiles upon their faces at the night sky. "Papa! Papa!" A little girl cried from her father's shoulder.  
  
"What is it my dear?" the man said.  
  
"Papa! What's that?" She pointed into the night sky. A flash of light shot across the dark.  
  
"That? That's a shooting star. Make a wish." He smiled.  
  
"I wish.... I wish that all the people in the world, could be as happy as I feel right now."  
  
The shooting star impacted the earth about forty miles away in the Deep of a forest. There, from the gemstone that lay in the crater, a glow was emitted. From it, perhaps across time, a voice echoed, "Maria... this, is what you wanted, right?" Only silence followed and whatever it was, it lay dormant on the forest floor soon covered with weeds and bramble.  
  
****  
  
Many nights had passed, and the terror presented to the world by Dr. Gerald Robotnik was quickly fading from memory. The sting of fright that had beset the world, was still engraved in the hearts of young and old, but not all can remember or know exactly what went on in the night sky then. What exactly had happened aboard ARK?  
  
In a village miles from the impact crater, one person still remembered, one still dared to wonder at the outcome of their battle. He was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. He sat on the edge of the ring pool, awaiting that once every twelve hour event, the rising of a Power Ring. At his side was Miles Prower, known to all his friends as "Tails" the two tailed fox.  
  
"Whatcha' thinkin' Sonic?" he asked in his very innocent preadolescent voice.  
  
"Nothing." he sighed, his eyes on the sky. A shooting star passed his view, and he was sent back to the fight. 'Shadow, you're losing power, are you all right?'  
  
Tails knew something else was eating his friend, but didn't say anything about it. He couldn't think how. "A shooting star, wow!" he changed the subject, "Aunt Sally says you can make a wish on them and it will come true."  
  
Sonic was brought back to reality enough to laugh, "Yeah right. So, what are you gonna' wish for anyway lil' buddy?" he punched Tails playfully in the arm.  
  
"Good question. Hmmm." He thought about it a while, smiling brightly. He never lost hope, never, not even in the darkest hours that fox had seen had his faith ever wavered. He always knew that Sonic would be there for him, and even if he wasn't, he had been given the courage to face anything that came his way. For one so young, born into a war torn world, he was the very definition of hope. "I know Sonic, I'll make a wish! A wish for.... Shadow!" he nodded, that sounded good to him for some reason. He didn't notice Sonic's sudden shock. "For Shadow, may he rest in peace."  
  
"Good wish." Sonic smiled a little softer. The two of them just continued stargazing, long after the ring had arrived. There were questions in the reckless youth's mind that only one person could answer, and he was no longer there. 'Am I the ultimate life form?' For now, just the simple comfort of a friend nearby was enough, he was Sonic the Hedgehog, and no matter what happened, that would have to do.  
  
***  
  
Many more nights passed, some gently under the moon, some under the torrent of rain. Some passed quick and cold, some long and warm. It was the beginning of Summer when at last, the star's crater was passed. Perhaps by chance, maybe by fate, it was passed over by one with the power of Emeralds in her wake. Just enough energy left to awaken what slumbered within.  
  
In a burst of light seen only by the most nocturnal of Mobius' creatures, the shooting star evolved a shape resembling that of a hedgehog. When the light faded, he lay there in the crater, black with red streaks, covered by the loose weeds, and motionless. He continued to lay there, until it rained, the first few drops, opening his eyes. His vision was fuzzy and he found it hard to move, but one thing was clear, he was alive.  
  
'Where am I?' he thought. After groping his way out of the hole he looked around him at the unfamiliar settings. 'Who... am I?' Again he could not think of the answer. It took him a while to regain his wits, and then he flashed upon two names, a memory, and called out. "Doctor? Maria?! Maria?" There was no reply. The first name was not so dear to him as Maria, whoever that was, and he felt it very important that he somehow remember her.  
  
He traveled for what felt like days, slowly. He didn't feel he had any power left in his legs, and as he walked they felt to him as if they were made of lead. What cruel fate had brought him here? He continued his death march, eventually having to hold onto the trees to steady himself. 'Everything's spinning. How am I ever going to find my way?' No matter what, his will lead him on, onward to whatever lay ahead he could not even guess at. Somehow, he continued on, until he lost all strength. "Maria!" he called weakly before collapsing.  
  
It so happened, that where he fell, a young girl and her father were watching. "Papa! Papa! It's a hedgehog! Papa, we gotta' help him.."  
  
****  
  
Who can say how long it was that he was unconscious, but eventually, Shadows' eyes opened anew. He was met with the same blurred vision as when he awoke in the forest, but this place, this was different. He was wrapped in warm blankets and was laid on a small human's bed. A cold compress was on his forehead, at least til he turned his head to the side.  
  
Next to him, the shadowy hedgehog saw a young human girl with light brown, almost red hair and a freckle face. She was seated in a chair, asleep. He guessed she was the voice he heard before he passed out, and perhaps she had watched him that night. Such kindness he could not understand, but it was somehow familiar.  
  
"Ahh so you're awake finally." A human man said. He was middle-aged with a reddish brown beard a shade darker than the girl's hair. He had a few white streaks in his short curly hair and mustache, but otherwise he seemed in good shape. He had to be, from looking out the window, they seemed to live on the edge of the wilderness. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come out of it. I guess the fever's broken then. But what were you doing out in the forest alone?" He smiled softly and came over to the black hedgehog carrying a bowl of soup for the unexpected guest. "Wait, I have completely forgotten my manners, and you did just wake up, bet you're still a bit groggy eh?" he laughed.  
  
"Thank you." said the hedgehog. He sat up best he could, but still found it difficult to move, he felt stiff.  
  
"My name's Matthew Thornbrooke. This charming little girl here is my daughter, Mariell, and she hasn't left your side since we brought you here." he smiled.  
  
It was then that the Shadow hedgehog noticed that the bed was just right for a human girl of her size, this must be her bed. "I am in your debt." His voice was deep and rough around the edges, darker than he himself expected.  
  
"Here, eat this, it'll give you strength." He handed the hedgehog the bowl of soup and a spoon to eat it with. "Forgive me if I'm not much of a cook, but Mariell insisted on it." Again he laughed and the child began to stir.  
  
"Papa?" Was her first word today as she yawned and stretched. All sleep vanished from her eyes as she caught sight of the Mobian sitting up and eating soup in her bed. "You're awake!" she said joyously. "See Papa? I told you he was still alive, isn't that right? I'm sooo glad you're awake. My Name's Mariell and this is My Papa." finally the child's boisterous attitude ebbed and she thought a moment before continuing quizzically. "What's your name?"  
  
"I... do not remember." He said honestly.  
  
"Can I name you then?" Mariell smiled. The black hedgehog nodded. "Hmm... Well, you're all black... so umm.... Blackie?" Her father laughed and the black hedgehog decided that one was not proper. "Darkie?" even worse, "Nightshade!" that one had promise, but not quite. "Shade? ...Shadow?"  
  
"Yes." His red eyes lit up. "I remember, that is my name. You may call me Shadow... the ultimate life form." The latter part he didn't know where it came from.  
  
"Ultimate life form is it?" Matthew laughed, "well, Shadow, whatever you are you are welcome to stay with us until you wish to leave."  
  
"I am Grateful."  
  
****  
  
A few days passed, and Shadow stayed with the Thornbrookes. He kept glancing along the miles, searching for something he simply could not grasp. Little by little he remembered things, Maria, Professor Gerald, but nothing stuck with him. He faintly recalled his rival at times, the ARK, but he sighed as all his memories crashed and flooded out of his mind. Sometimes, he forgot where he was, and sometimes, he couldn't even remember the very people he was staying with.  
  
"Maria..." He sighed. "I am here, but why?" he didn't expect an answer, leaning against the side of the house.  
  
"Papa?" Mariell looked up at her father sadly. "Why is he so lonely?"  
  
Matthew looked upon Shadow, a look of compassion. "I don't know what happened to him, and I do not think he would answer us if we asked. I think, however, that he is in need of help, help which you or I cannot give."  
  
"But Papa! He's... our family isn't he? he's ours now right? And I'm not going to give up on him!" The little girl began to cry.  
  
Matt knelt before his daughter and wrapped his arms gently around her. "My darling girl, your caring and compassion is far more than I could ever have imagined, or hoped for. But, I think he has to leave us before he can find the answers he seeks."  
  
"But... But he'll be all alone."  
  
"The High One protect and save us all." Her father said, and held her tight.  
  
****  
  
Night came over the hills and mountains, the trees and grass, plain and plateau. All of Mobius slept, all, save a few creatures, one of which named Shadow.  
  
"So I find you here again?" Matthew leaned against the side of his tool shed and glanced up at the roof of his house, on which, Shadow was perched, his arms crossed. Silence ensued, and he guessed that Shadow had a dualistic nature to him, the part of him that loved Maria, and the dark wanderer they had found in the woods, right now that nature was in charge. "Do you know what it is you are looking for? I'd like to help if I can."  
  
"It is nothing you can help with Matthew, I decided that a long time ago." He hissed darkly, closing his eyes. He felt something on the wind, but it was very far away, and all at once, it was gone. All he felt was the cold of night around him.  
  
"I think it's time you moved on, Shadow."  
  
"Is that your wish?" He said simply.  
  
"No, but it's yours. Don't think I haven't been watching you Shadow. Your memory loss and recovery, the way you look at us, sometimes as friends, sometimes as strangers. It scares Mariell, and that, I think, scares you too. And you also move stiffly all the time. You won't come to me for help on that, and I doubt I've the medical know-how to fix whatever is wrong with you."  
  
Shadow sat cross-legged on the rooftop, thinking over the words of his friend. "It is as you say. Will you have me go now under the moon, or do I have to say good bye to Mariell first?"  
  
"It is whatever you wish, but I will tell you, Mariell loves you Shadow. You're a friend of hers, and of mine, as long as you live. Now, I must be going to bed, Farewell Shadow." And with that, the man turned indoors and left Shadow to his thoughts.  
  
Shadow was like a wolf with his thoughts, and snatched them up all at once, to be taken apart as he pleased. He found, that if he did not, the memories left him quickly. He could scarcely remember the day that he had come into their lives, but now it was the time to move on. His only problem now, was Mariell.  
  
****  
  
The girl was asleep, clutching to her a teddy bear, laying in her nice soft bed. Shadow had slept there his first night with them, and that he felt he would never forget. He wrapped the blankets around the human child, and turned to leave.  
  
A small squeak of a voice caught his ear, "Shadow?" He turned and smiled at her gently, "Are you leaving us?" her eyes looked at him sadly.  
  
"I must go Mariell. I.. may never see you again."  
  
She shook her head, "No, come back to us, okay Shadow?"  
  
"If that is what you wish." he nodded, and turned again to leave, "I will not forget you."  
  
Matthew was waiting at the door, with a pack of food and other supplies ready for Shadow. Aside the food, he'd been preparing the pack for the day that had now arrived. "Here, take it, you've got a long journey ahead of you, and the wilderness stretches a long way my friend. As for your problems, there was a man who once traveled this way, a small Overlander who carried medicine and machinery with him, I believe he may help you. His name is Nate Morgan. I don't know where he is now, but I think you could find him."  
  
"I do not deserve such kindness." he flashed on a memory, one that was not so kind to him.  
  
"It doesn't matter to me. Kindness should be practiced at all times to all people. I didn't know if you would be friend or foe, but as you are not a foe, I so label you friend. Return to us, if you ever can."  
  
"Shadow!" Marielle rushed out the door and grabbed the hedgehog's arm. "Shadow, please... please don't go. Please?" her eyes were wet with tears.  
  
Shadow gave the child a tight hug, "Remember me." he kissed her forehead, and demonstrating a power long dormant in him, he disappeared into the shadows as far as they could see.  
  
"Good bye... Shadow the Hedgehog."  
  
****  
  
'I am traveling so fast, how is this even possible?' he thought to himself. The glow around him was familiar, even if he didn't know the power which he drew it from. His speed didn't dull and he didn't grow tired as night broke into day. He'd come a very long way, and now before him stretched the true Wilderness, the Mobian Badlands.  
  
The Badlands were once lush green plains and plateaus covered with life, now they were rock shelves and dusty dales. There was no water in the whole stretch of 300 miles, only toxic pools of waste and tar. You see, this was one of Robotnik's testing grounds for his machinations when he first took over in the North, in Mobotropolis. The clouds overhead were brown and dusty, and the road before him was just as bleak.  
  
'What place is this? I've never seen so much destruction.' He thought to himself. He trod upon the cracked earth that baked in what blistering sun shone through the murky clouds. It was unseasonably hot here, and his vision now was as good as ever, just, the heat made the visions ripple. He was glad that Matthew had given him provisions, or he felt that this really would be the death of him.  
  
The day was almost over, when he saw something on the horizon, a moving dust cloud heading straight for him. No, as he looked on it, images became clearer in his sight, they were motor cyclists. They had stirred up a tremendous amount of Dust and stone in their wake, and they were headed for him. If he could tap that power he had felt earlier, he knew he was faster than they could ever hope to be. At the lead of the cyclists was a rabbit with a patch over one eye. Well, he'd done nothing wrong, so Shadow continued on toward them.  
  
"Get 'im!" the rabbit yelled to his comrades, a lizard was his right hand man of sorts.  
  
"You got it Jack!" He revved his cycle to max output and sped for the unsuspecting Hedgehog.  
  
"You ought to watch it, you almost hit me." he said in an even voice, as if he didn't care, or avoiding it was of no consequence. He had tapped his power once again, but the landing was rougher than his body showed.  
  
"Well next time we'll try a little harder, traitor!" This time the Jack Rabbit came straight for him, and Shadow had no doubt this was an intentional assault. What he didn't know, was that it was not meant for him.  
  
"Traitor am I? I'm not the one being attacked right now, but you will be!" He leapt into the air and did a homing attack on the rabbit, who bailed out at the last minute, the vehicle exploding moments later.  
  
"No way! You tried to kill me Sonic!" The rabbit yelled, outraged.  
  
"Sonic? Ha! You have me mistaken 'friend.'" he said darkly, back lit by both the evening sun, and the flames of the motorcycle behind him. He looked demonic under the light, and Jack's heart went cold and his breathing shallow.  
  
"Y-you're not Sonic... Who! Whoa re you!?" he cried, crawling backward on the sands.  
  
'Sure, some people may be selfish, like the professor said, but..' Shadow picked Jack up by his clip band around him, and hauled him up eye to eye - or more precisely, eye to eyes. "Tell me why you attacked me!"  
  
Ulp.... "Um... we... thought you were someone else."  
  
"Sonic the Hedgehog huh?" he hadn't heard him called by full name, but he guessed that they were as good as twins. An evil twin of his, he wondered.  
  
"Y-yeah..."  
  
"And to what does he owe the pleasure of this... assault?" Shadow's words were slow and dark. Deep as a well that had never seen sunlight.  
  
Jack couldn't tell the truth - that his people had revered Sonic for the fight he waged against Robotnik, that he'd won, at least for a time. He was a hero, and they saw him as that, but the part about them wanting to keep the Legend for themselves, forever concealed in Sand Blast City, against his will, he couldn't say.* (*issues #62 and 63 of STH) The Roabians that were under the sub-boss of the land was still around, and Jack feared being caught by them again, last time he lost the use of an eye, but without a master they could be much more ruthless. "He... he destroyed the generator for the Force field that protected our city! Without it, evil Robots that Dr. Robotnik made can attack us whenever they chose!" he finally blurted out. A half truth that would easily paint Sonic as a zero instead of a hero.  
  
"Where is he?" Shadow wasn't sure, but he knew he was only getting half the story. "If this hedgehog has done you harm, I'll set it right. I must destroy the evil The Doctor has created." That he said, as part of a memory, but it was so far away.  
  
"H-He said he was from Knothole Village. It... I don't know where it is, it's somewhere in the Great Forest."  
  
"And where is that?" Shadow need only glare at the other cyclists to freeze them in their tracks. He was menacing for one of such short stature.  
  
"N-north.... You can't miss it. Beyond it is Robotropolis, and that you can see miles off. It's got thick thick black clouds swirling above it constantly!"  
  
Satisfied, Shadow relaxed his grip. "Very well then. that is where I must go." he paused and looked back at Jack a moment, "While I'm there, is it possible that a Nate Morgan lives anywhere nearby?" Jack was totally clueless, he'd never heard of the man and just shrugged. "I see." he wanted to tap his power again, but all he felt was pain this time, and the stiffness was worse than before.  
  
He looked at the cycles around him, they were the fastest mode of transport through this barren landscape. Yes, that would do. He walked straight up to the right hand lizard, and just stared at him, as if locked into a battle of wills. Shadow won, and the lizard shirked away as if he'd been bitten suddenly by a wild beast. He climbed atop the cycle, quickly figuring out how it worked, and rode off into the distance.  
  
"Boss! Ya just gonna' let him get away with that?" the lizard helped Jack back up.  
  
"Let him go... he's.. not worth it." Jack and his henchman climbed onto a couple of their buddies' bikes and headed back... back to Sand Blast City, their self-made prison.  
  
****  
  
Shadow came at last, to the end of the desolation. He could see ahead of him, however, the black swirling clouds that the rabbit had spoken of. He felt something now in the wind, that his destiny was closer now.  
  
His vision blurred and his body shook, this was the worst it had been in a while. He felt like his body was breaking apart, and the stiffness was accompanied by pain, tremendous pain. "NO!" he shouted, "I will not give in!" He stumbled out of the cycle and was left on his hands and knees on the ground, gasping for breath. 'What is happening to me?'  
  
'I created his mind to be perfect, pure...'  
  
'That voice again...' He groaned and pulled himself to his feet. He could see the forest, and somewhere in there, his answers must lay. "I said I would return Mariell. That day will be soon." He clenched a fist and strode on into the forest.  
  
Night had fallen and he wasn't even a quarter way into this strange new place. It was kind of like the forest he had been found in, but different. These trees were not quite as old, as ancient. It was familiar also, or maybe he was just familiar with the cold of night.  
  
Shadow climbed the highest tree, in spite of his aches, and looked up at the star studded sky, among them he saw a pair of shooting stars. Part of him wanted to be with them now, up in the sky. "How free you are, you stars. You hang there silent in the night, giving off your light... And for what? Does it make you happy? Maybe that's why you twinkle like that. Some day... will your light go out?" He sighed and slunk down to the base of the tree. No use continuing tonight, tomorrow he'd go on his way.  
  
****  
  
While Shadow slept, someone else had been watching him. No it was not Mariell, it was the one who first woke him. "I cannot give you what you need to live Shadow, but I can give you this to keep you, for a little while." A power ring was laid upon him and then, it vanished.  
  
****  
  
Morning came more easily than Shadow had ever experienced. There was something new about it, something strange, he couldn't quite grasp. Whatever it was, it was welcome, it made his journey that morning easier. First, however, he ate the last bits of the food that Matt had given him a few days ago when he started out. Such a kind man, and yet, he could hardly remember his name now.  
  
He continued on into the forest, watching every branch and limb, for signs of life. That he saw, birds, flowers, everything but other Mobians like him. Still, this was not called the Great Forest for no reason. It seemed to go on endlessly, forever, now that he was under its hammock. Yet, it was not an unkind forest, it was open and airy, with a fresh kind of life.  
  
Shadow felt like the forest, because deep within its lush surface, some element was dying. The forest was struggling to survive, against Robotropolis' pollutants. In the same way, Shadow's body was now fighting itself to survive, though it was easier to say why the forest was fading rather than himself.  
  
Lost in thought, and every other sense, Shadow had finally made it without ever realizing it. "Shadow!" A young voice cried out, a young male voice. Looking up, the hedgehog saw what was to him, an unreal sight. The voice belonged to a fox, about ten years of age, who hung, floating in the air, by the power of two tails whirling faster than a blur behind him.  
  
"You, know me?" he said rather in amazement. He couldn't remember the fox at all.  
  
"Sure do! Wait til I tell Sally and everyone!" He started to fly off, then turned to the hedgehog again. "You will stay here right? Sonic will wanna' see you!"  
  
'Sonic, that name again?' he thought. 'I feel he is my rival, then, will we fight when we meet? Perhaps.' "It will be as you say."  
  
****  
  
Smiling, Tails flew off to find his friends. The first one he came across was Bunnie Rabbot, "Hey Aunt Bunnie!" he smiled.  
  
"Why hello Sugah Tails!" She smiled back. "Whut's got your tails in such a twirl?" She laughed, "Ah don't usually see yah this riled up."  
  
"I need to go find Aunt Sal' and Sonic." the fox smiled. "We have a guest."  
  
"Holllllld it Sugah! Guest? Who the who-ha we got commin' to Dinnuh?" She was confused.  
  
"Oh, you remember back when Sonic fought against the Prototype of the Ultimate Life form?" Bunnie nodded, "Well, somehow Shadow survived, he's here!"  
  
"Oh mah stars!" Bunnie gasped. "Tails, yah go tell Aunt Sall' and me, Ah'm gonnah see about our guest."  
  
***  
  
Bunnie had heard of Shadow, but wasn't quite sure now what to make of him. From the way Sonic told the story, he was majorly bad, and even Amy Rose recounted how he waited by a window aboard the ARK, not seeming to care that it was heading for Mobius. Still, she'd also heard that he helped Sonic when he needed it most, so he couldn't be all bad. Yet Bunnie wondered if she should greet him as a friend, or as if he were an intruder.  
  
"You're no hedgehog." Shadow said in his usual dark tones. "Who are you?"  
  
"Bunnie Rabbot, at y'all's service." She said. She wore more of a curious look on her face than a smile or frown.  
  
"Where is Sonic the Hedgehog?"  
  
"Ah'm not sure. Could be eatin' about now. Now who put your quills in a knot? Y'all look so intense. Sheesh." Southern Charm was something Bunnie was brimming with.  
  
"I have business with Sonic, and if possible... A Mr. Nate Morgan." He strained to remember the last bit. Fighting Jack and his company were the freshest memories he had, and it took him a little longer now to recall the real reason he'd come this way. A twinge of pain shot through him, and for a moment, that was the only thing that counted.  
  
"Nate? Whutcha want with ol' Nate boy?" She said alarmed. She could guess that Shadow was in some pain, but why she couldn't tell. It coulda' been from battling, and to that extent, it could have been against Robotnik or anyone else... and why?  
  
"Don't... question me. I... I must see him. It's..." And finally his pride ebbed and he collapsed to his knees. "It is a matter of life or death."  
  
"Mah goodness, You need help, fast! Let me getcha' to Doctor Quack first sugah hog... steady!" She went to Shadow's side, a first he was resistant to the help, but before long he was leanin' on the Rabbit to steady his faltering steps.  
  
"Yo! You were right Tails, it is Shadow! Mundo weird!" Sonic exclaimed when he arrived moments later followed by Tails.  
  
'That voice...' Shadow thought. He looked up, his vision blurred, but he could make it out. "It's you..." At the moment, he didn't remember helping Sonic face the Final Hazard, right now, he remembered fighting Jack. Now, he remembered being in a lush Green Jungle facing off against the blue hedgehog, as bitter enemies. 'Fake? I'm not the fake, You're not even good enough to be my fake.' 'I'll make you eat those words!'  
  
The rivalry was stirred in him, and he tapped the Chaos power that gave him his incredible speed. Even though he was weak, even though it hurt, he dove for Sonic in a Sonic spin. "SONIC!" Tails yelled. "Whoa!" it was just enough time for Sonic to counter, zipping away in his own Sonic spin. He skidded to a halt a few feet away. "What's the big Idea?!"  
  
Sonic didn't receive an answer, just a quiet muttering before Shadow's energy reached zero. He had no strength again, and was totally at the other's mercy, "Maria... I've failed... you."  
  
****  
  
It had been about 6 hours since Shadow was brought into the Knothole Infirmary. Dr. Quack ran as many tests as he could think of on the hedgehog, without doing him harm. He'd been leafing through every medical text and journal he could, even borrowing Sally's hand held computer Nicole for assistance. This one was going to take all the Duck's medical know how and then some.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Princess Sally asked. She was standing with her arms folded over her chest, her sky blue vest hanging loosely on either side of her. She was clad in equally sky blue boots, and her eyes were blue jewels set on her light tan fur, and red mop of hair. She was royalty, fair as they come, and though sometimes she didn't feel it, this was her place as long as Elias was missing and her father was crippled up.  
  
"Well Princess, that's something I simply can't say." he sighed, disappointed.  
  
"What? You been pickin' blood samples from him like he's a donor. Now you can't even diagnose the problem? Gimme a break!" Sonic mouthed off, hand on hip, brows lowered.  
  
"Sonic, please, this is a place of healing. Check the attitude at the door." Sally warned.  
  
"Hey! I got a right to be here. After all, no one here but me and Tails know what this guys' capable of." He smiled confidently. He and Sally, they still had their problems, and though Sonic did have his point to make, he wasn't sure, if that just drove a further wedge between him and Sal. He missed the days before the rest of the Royalty showed up, he missed it when they were a close knit group that would never fail. Granted, he liked having his Uncle back too... just... sigh.  
  
"Go on Dr. Quack." Sally decided to pay attention to him instead of Sonic before she said something both of them would regret.  
  
"Well..." Dr. Quack began.  
  
'Oh great, now she's ignorin' me. Way to go Sonic... nice mess you've made this time.' His body language betrayed him and he took a rather defiant pose in a nearby seat while he listened.  
  
"Project Shadow here is very unique. I've never seen anything like it! His DNA is exceptionally interesting." Doctor Quack mused.  
  
"Tell us somethin' we don't already know!" Sally shot Sonic a glare. 'Not my day...'  
  
Dr. Quack cleared his throat, "Now then, What I do know about Shadow is that his DNA, his very genetic makeup, is breaking apart. Now, before you two start goin' at me, I mean that, although it doesn't look much like it, he's 'aging' so to speak, at a phenomenal rate."  
  
"But he doesn't look much, if any older than Sonic." Sally said calmly.  
  
"Ahh, but he is older Sally. Advanced as he is, as much technology or biomatter may have been used in assembling Shadow, he is older than Sonic. Remember, he was buil- made by Dr. Gerald Robotnik."  
  
"When exactly would you say that was?"  
  
"I'd say it was at least 40 years ago."  
  
"All Robotniks are royal jerks." Sonic put in.  
  
"That didn't need to be said Sonic." Sally scolded, although Tails, who was also in the room laughed. "Doctor? Please continue, I'm sorry for all the disruptions."  
  
"Not at all Princess, it's quite all right." Dr. Quack would have welcomed the questioning from both Tails and Sonic, and put up with their antics perhaps a bit better than Sally. She'd been edgy ever since her father returned, and Dr. Quack's tolerance was being pushed too, but oh well. "He may have been built to be the 'Ultimate Life Form', but he is far from perfect. Therein lies the problem. You see, his DNA is unstable, and it's that instability that is bringing him down now."  
  
'So that's why he lost power...' Sonic thought. 'I shouldn't have encouraged him to help me with that final Chaos Control.'  
  
"If he continues to deteriorate like this, it will attack both his mind and his body until he is little more like a vegetable."  
  
"No way!" Sonic shouted, this time, a look of determination on his face. "Not if I can help it. Just tell me what to do and I'm gone!"  
  
"Me too Sonic!" Tails bounded to his hero's side, smiling.  
  
"Whoa whoa... you two are not going anywhere until we figure out what CAN be done. Chill." She caught something more than the usual boldness in Sonic. "If there's anything to be done for Shadow then we'll do it." She stared straight at Sonic now. "You and Amy both gave him a favorable report, and if he can become an ally-"  
  
"If? No ifs ands or buts Sally!" Sonic clapped fist against palm. His quills were bristling and ready for action. "Shadow's way past cool. I know he attacked me but that wasn't him okay?"  
  
"Sonic! One more outburst like that and you are dismissed! you hear me?" She pointed purposely at the door. "Now then," She sighed and continued, a hand on her hip. She was tired of always going around in circles with Sonic, and he was the blue dude with a 'tude so why she ever expected more was beyond her. "From what Dr. Quack Says, he probably hardly even knows himself at this point. And even if we do find a cure Sonic, there's no guarantee he'll ever be normal, or what you identify as normal for him."  
  
"There's another problem." Dr. Quack spoke up as Sally ended. "Nate Morgan. Apparently Shadow thinks he can help, since he mentioned the man, and mumbled something about him in his sleep."  
  
"But Nate's a statue gatherin' mundo moss in Robotown right now..." Sonic groaned.  
  
Sally put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, "Dr. Quack is a perfectly capable Doctor, if there's a cure, he'll find it." At this, Dr. Quack turned from her view, putting the medical chart down and sighing. There was only so much he could do, tending to the Queen and King was enough to give him a lifetime headache, now this?  
  
"Well then, we'll just have to rescue Nate won't we?" Amy spoke up, having heard everything from behind a movable curtain in the room.  
  
"Amy!" everyone exclaimed.  
  
"Amy... even if we get him back, he's a robot statue now." Sally sighed.  
  
"I know, but there's GOTTA be a way." Amy chimed. "I just know it Ms. Sally!" She looked over at the room Shadow was in, she'd come originally just to visit. "Shadow's really good inside, you have to believe me! You can't just let him die! You can't!"  
  
"It doesn't seem to matter what I say does it? You're going to go off and do what you're going to do, wise or foolish aren't you?" Sally looked around the room then threw her arms up in defeat. "I give up!" then she looked directly at Sonic. "We already tried the sword, and it failed, so this is just Recon for Nate all right?"  
  
"Way past cool Sal!" Sonic smiled.  
  
"Don't you 'way past cool' me Sonic!" She rolled her eyes. "I may be allowing this, but I'm not with you on this mission." She sighed, "My father is going to have a fit when he finds out about this so make it just you and Tails, and come back safe or so help me Sonic-- you are going to get such a pounding!"  
  
"Alright!!" Sonic and Tails high fived each other. "Thank you Aunt Sally! Way past cool!" he laughed and he and Sonic both disappeared from the Infirmary.  
  
"Ug! Sonic you brainless fool!" Sally snorted, being knocked over by yet another Sonic Boom.  
  
"Ooooo! I HATE that hedgehog!" Amy Rose kicked at the floor, "Leaving me behind again! They have all the fun!" She said, looking thoroughly disgusted. "And it was my idea too!"  
  
"Amy Rose, believe me, you're better off this way." Sal shook her head.  
  
***  
  
Amy entered the darkened room quietly. Sure enough, it was Shadow... she remembered meeting him before, on the ARK. Sure he was a tough guy, and maybe a Robotnik had made him, but that didn't matter to her. Amy was always looking for the good in people, she just didn't know what to say now, seeing him like this - in bed, disabled and probably dying.  
  
"Mr. Shadow?" She said quietly.  
  
Shadow turned his head to look at her, but could not place the pink hedgehog's face. "You have me at a disadvantage I'm afraid... I don't remember you." he said darkly.  
  
"You don't?" Amy looked disappointed but went over to Shadow anyway. "That's all right. Well, I'm Amy Rose! We met on the ARK."  
  
"The ARK." He repeated softly and nodded, "That, I have some recollection of. It was you wasn't it? Who convinced me to fight?"  
  
"Yes Shadow!" her excitement was dulled as she watched Shadow struggle to just sit up in bed. Was he that far gone? She hoped sincerely that the guys brought Nate Morgan back and fast. "I told you, saving them is a good thing."  
  
"So it was... And my purpose is now fulfilled then, if memory serves me, as it tends not to these days." He smiled wryly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Amy's initial concern was growing.  
  
"Why am I still here Amy? Why?" He sighed and looked around the white infirmary room with its white sheets and walls, and cold metal tables. "I gave you all a chance, to be happy, yet I see no smiles. And my body, don't think I am not aware what's being said about me, I'm dying, I've known that since I regained consciousness."  
  
"It's our turn to help you now."  
  
"And if you can't?" Seeing the look on her face was enough to him. "I have now no purpose, so perhaps my time is come. I have been thinking about it for a long time now, the only thing that is consistent through my mind, that I am mortal, yet I was once called the 'Ultimate Life form', what a cruel joke."  
  
"Shadow I know it's hard, but you have to make the best of the life you're given! Even if you're only going to be here a little while..."  
  
"But the thought of death clouds your mind too doesn't it? What good can come from such short time on this plane of existence?" He gave a dry laugh, "You see death in me, and you pity me."  
  
"No!" Amy cried, and she really did begin to cry too. She felt a bit withered, like a dying flower, but the hurt was not entirely her own. Shadow looked away from her, perhaps ashamed that he made her cry. "No... Shadow... please? Just do me one little thing? Please?"  
  
"If I can.." he said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I will do as you wish."  
  
"Then... Shadow? Would you please... I mean, Shadow? Don't give up! As long as there's a breath in you, hang onto it Shadow! For me?"  
  
"I have been fighting Amy, what makes you think I can win?"  
  
"Promise me! It's my Wish all right?!" The tears would not stop falling from Amy's cheeks, until Shadow wrapped his arms around her weakly and held her to him. He wondered if she was more like Maria than he currently knew.  
  
"It will be as you say." he nodded. "You are a remarkable girl Amy Rose. That you wouldn't give up on even me."  
  
"I never will... Shadow... the Hedgehog." She said, and buried her face in his dark fur.  
  
'Even if they do bring Nate back, there's no guarantee that he can help me.' Shadow thought grimly. Amy held him tight for several minutes, going on and on through her tears, how Shadow was her friend. He could hardly grasp the concept, let alone how short a time Amy had known and accepted him, for most of that time, they were enemies. 'I wonder, how far they'll go for an almost hero. Will they remember me, when I no longer draw breath? Will I be remembered as a legend, a fallen angel, or as I am now. I am Shadow, more now than ever. I am but a shadow, of who I was, and even that is but shadows to me.' His mind, detached from the sights and feelings around him, left to his endless trail of untidy thoughts and feelings, drifted off to sleep.  
  
"Shadow?" Amy's voice cried, but it didn't penetrate his slumber. "Shadow!" Yes, he heard her, but for now, his thoughts, his mind, his soul, his very existence, was far far away. "Shadow! Wake up! Shadow?? Please?" 'Do not beg for me. I will stay. For how long, I cannot guess, but I am here now Amy Rose.' Although the thought and consciousness were with him, Shadow did not wake, nor did his words leave his lips, or his thoughts reach Amy's kind heart. For all she knew, Shadow would never wake up, and no one, not even Shadow could guess how long sleep would hold him, or if it now held him forever.  
  
"Shadow..." Amy Sobbed weakly.  
  
A feathery hand rested on her shoulder, Dr. Quack. "He's only asleep now Amy. It'll be all right."  
  
"B... but he can't... he's..." She couldn't bring herself to say it, tears escaping her lidded eyes.  
  
"I don't understand you Amy, but if you think he's going to be all right, I believe you." he smiled softly. "I'm a doctor, I'm only supposed to give you the most scientific answers Amy, and I don't see any hope for him that way, but you got enough hope for the planet in you." He smiled. Amy returned it a little and seemed to calm down.  
  
"You... you really think so?" she asked. Dr. Quack nodded, though in truth, he didn't believe what he'd just said, that Shadow would live. The Black hedgehog was dying, slowly, painfully, but it would happen, and soon. Dr. Quack's thoughts now were to comfort Amy, no matter what lies he'd have to spin, even with the regret in his heart, that he'd have to console her after his patient passed on.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic and Tails returned from Robotropolis, both successful and failed. They had recovered the roboticized Nate Morgan, but the robot formerly known as Nate, stood silent as a statue. "I'm sorry guys..." Sonic said softly.  
  
"It's not your fault Sonic." Sally said softly. "Even the sword of acorns couldn't revive him."  
  
"But we were so close!" Sonic slammed one fist to the palm of the other hand.  
  
"I'll keep working with Rotor, maybe we can build some kinda way to deroboticize them." Tails shrugged.  
  
"Why now?" Sonic said angrily. "Why? It... We can't even deroboticize our OWN kind! How can we help Nate?" his quills bristled. Tails shrank back from the rush of anger from his hero, and held tight to his 'Aunt Sally.'  
  
"Sonic!" Sally said, partly as a demand. "Calm down now. Yes it's upsetting, but there is nothing you can do now to help Sonic! Tails might be able to..."  
  
"SAL!"  
  
Sally growled lowly, "You listen to me here and now Sonic Hedgehog!" she said poking him in the chest, her tone and choice of words were reserved for cases where Sonic was in the most dire kind of trouble with her. She waited a sonic second for any rebuttal, but none came. "You've done far more for Shadow than I'm sure even HE has guessed! You've brought Nate back safe, and he's much safer here than he would be in Robotropolis to boot. And one way or another, we'll do what can be done for your friend," She emphasized the 'your' part since she didn't really know Shadow, or why they were going so far out of their way for him to begin with, "As long as he lives."  
  
With that Sally stormed out. Tails looked at Sonic a moment, then the Nate statue, and back. He'd never seen Sonic like this... he was practically shaking, and the young fox couldn't tell why, "What's wrong Sonic?" He spoke up quietly.  
  
"Leave me alone Tails." he sighed, looking away from Tails, but the corner of his eye caught the silver statue of someone who had quickly become like a second uncle to him. In fact, he and Chuck went way back, they were so alike... 'I can't cry...'  
  
The two tailed fox, nodded slightly and headed for the door. His hand even got so far as the door's edge, pulling it back, then he slammed it shut, but he wasn't on the other side. "No..." He stopped and turned to his hero, with his eyes now clearly pleading. "Sonic... you're scaring me, okay?"  
  
"Wha?" Sonic was distinctly taken aback, and took a physical step back as well. "I'm what?" He couldn't imagine ever hurting Tails, or scaring him, they'd been best friends since forever...  
  
"Sonic... I... I didn't wanna' say anything about it, but, I gotta." he sniffed, holding back tears. "You taught me to be strong, and you gave me the will to Fly higher and higher... But something happened on the ARK. Ever since you met Shadow. What is it? Why won't you tell me?" Tails saw the confusion and shock in his friend's face, and a few tears broke through, he didn't want to hurt Sonic either.  
  
"It's Nothing bud..." Sonic said quietly. He couldn't deny something happened, but what, he couldn't, or wouldn't say.  
  
"Please Sonic. You and I are best friends, if you can't tell me, then who? Are you... you gonna' make me go away, like Aunt Sally?" He motioned out the door. "I'll go... cause you're my friend, and if that's what you want, I will. I'll leave you alone Sonic, if you're... you're sure you don't need me." his voice quavered through the last words. 'if you don't need me.'  
  
"Pal..." he said, softening noticeably. He walked over to his friend with his mouth open, as if he wished to say something, but it didn't quite happen. "Tail...." His hand rested on the young fox's shoulders, but the relief was only temporary. The next words out of Sonic's mouth had the potential to change their friendship... forever.  
  
"Aunt Bunnie says that if things stay unsaid, they can hurt worse than lots of bad words all blurted out at once." Tails said quiet but calmly. It was one of those times where the kid showed his age, he was only ten after all. He had a lot on his mind and his heart, he was smart and serious, but his fears and kid mentality sometimes took over, like now. He'd talked to Bunnie once about why Sonic and Sally can't just talk to each other, after all, they're best friends aren't they? But she had an answer for him, "Sometimes sugah, we'all feel like no one else's gonnah understand us. We think we can take on anythin' by ah selves. Truth is, we can't. An' whut goes unsaid can hurt more n' all the unkind words in the universe. Ah think, if Sally gal' and Sonic would just fess up t' each other, they'd cause a bunch a' hurtin, but once it's out, it won't be so bad, an' then they can staht heelin'."  
  
Sonic looked into those innocent, needy eyes, and sighed deeply. "I... You.. You know Uncle Chuck..." Tails nodded. He didn't know where this was going, but he'd listen. "He's my only family, but I wonder some times..." He sighed again, "I've never asked Uncle Chuck who my parents are... and... Shadow's the only other hedgehog... like me."  
  
A flood of realization entered Tails' adept mind. "You...!" he said in amazement, connecting the dots in his mind. "Sonic, you don't really believe Egg Man or one of his family... made you do you?" He didn't answer. Tails started to laugh, a kind of forced laugh, "Oh come on Sonic, that's ridiculous! And you do look like your Unc... He can tell you right?"  
  
Sonic forced a laugh too, "Yeah, it's silly." But then it faded. "But we both... know his 'Chaos Control' thing. I just... have so many questions I wanna' ask. He is... he is like me." Tails began to frown again, and Sonic managed a hopeful smile. "I love you kid, you're my lil' brother, fur n' flesh can't tear that bond apart." His friend really smiled now. "That's my Tails. You go help Rot' out, and maybe we will find out how to help Shadow. Kay?" He scruffed up Tails' bangs, receiving a laugh for his efforts.  
  
"Okay Sonic, if you say so. But, if that's all that was bugging you, don't hold it in next time, okay?" He smiled and took Sonic's hand as the two of them left the hut, and their Overlander friend behind.  
  
****  
  
The Door closed on the small Knothole hut, and it was once again dark, except for the light shining though the windows. It wasn't even a minute later before two shy eyes peaked through to the statue of a man within. 'I just gotta' help... somehow' the intruder thought, hand reaching shakily for the doorknob.  
  
She managed to pull herself together, and after looking around to make sure no one else was watching, very slowly opened the door. The pink hedgehog crept in, then looked over the roboticized overlander. He was short for one thing, but he was a trustworthy human, and everyone who knew him loved him like they did Sonic's Uncle Chuck. He was that kind of person, was.... Even in his metallic state, he appeared like his flesh counter part, just...  
  
"Why won't you wake up?" Amy asked. "Shadow needs you now! We need you Mr. Nate! Please?" She begged, as if that would help. "Can't you hear me? You have to be in there somewhere!"  
  
No matter how the little hedgehog begged, the statue remained motionless. Nothing, not a twitch, a spark... He just stood there. "Sonic's Uncle Chuck was Egg Man's slave for a long time..." Amy decided to tell stories. It was something she liked doing. Being Sonic's biggest fan, she'd often tell the younger animals in Knothole about his heroic exploits... Of course they'd have her own twist where she was right there beside him at every turn.. er... Artistic Liberty! Yeah! ...*cough* Actually, the one story she hadn't really gone through all the way was what happened on the ARK, it was different from the other stories somehow, set apart. "...but he's got his free will now."  
  
Amy sighed and sat down on the floor Indian style, with her head on her hands and her elbows on her knees. "I'm sorry..." She sighed again. "I'm not fast like Sonic, or smart like Sally, and I can't fly like Tails." She shrugged and looked up at the roof of the hut. "Rotor's good with machines, and Uncle Chuck's a spy... But what am I? I'm me, Amy Rose... I just get in the way." She looked up at the gleaming metal man in front of her. "You probably can't even hear me can you? Ohh why did I even bother?" she groaned, placin' her hands in her lap.  
  
"Back when Sonic took on Chaos... all I did was get in the way. I wanted to help Mr. Birdie, but I kept getting captured... and I couldn't even help at the end." She shook her head, "And back with that whole ARK thing? You know how many times I got hauled in and interrogated by GUN!? Hmph... They only let me go cause I wasn't 'worth their time' because who am I? I'm a loser that's what... I'm all talk, no show. That's all I did with Shadow, talk. Talk talk talk... I'm a loudmouth nobody! Ooo, I hate that!" She cried, then leaned back, her hand grazing some strange object.  
  
"Huh?" She glanced over her shoulder. "No way... The Sword of Acorns?" She pulled the object to her and examined it, sure enough, it was the Royal sword. Sally, in all her PMSing glory, had stormed out of the hut and forgotten the one thing that might... No, Amy thought, it's gotta' be returned to the princess. "Well... I guess I'll just be a delivery girl then... At least that's something. Right Mr. Nate?" No response followed and she heaved a sigh.  
  
She picked herself up off the ground and began walking out of the hut. She grabbed the doorknob like before, and pulled the door about half way open. Then something inside her said 'no', and she slowly closed it again. She turned back to Nate, an idea beginning to form in her mind. "Amy...." She whispered to herself. "you're not that strong... There's nothing you can do. Just let Sonic and Sally handle it." She scolded herself. She turned again to leave, but her hand didn't even graze the brass.  
  
Again the pink hedgehog twirled around and looked at Nate Morgans' still form. She stared blankly at him for a few solid minutes. "No, this is crazy..." She said aloud. Her hand pulled away from its floating position over the door to limp at her side. The girl's attention was so wrapped on the statue, that she found herself almost leaning forward, so much so that she forced herself to take a step in his direction. "What are you getting at?" She protested with herself, "It won't work... It won't..." Her other hand was clutching the sword's hilt, very tightly. "No! How can I do... what Sally couldn't? It's not me it's not!"  
  
A tug of wills was going on in Amy. First there was Amys' will which had decided just a few minutes ago, that there was no way she could help out so don't even bother. Then there was her heart which wanted desperately to help, but had no direction. It's just... since she grabbed the sword, a third will seemed to come into play, something beyond her control. It was simply a feeling, something telling her to take the sword and use it... now, if never again, this is your one chance. Grab it, now! Take your place and prove that there IS something you can do. If it could have told her something else, it was 'you have played your part, no matter how insignificant it might seem to you. You are part of the bigger picture.'  
  
Resolve swept over Amy and she nodded for no apparent reason. "Alright..." She said breathlessly. Both hands clutched the sword's hilt firmly, and all time seemed to flow in slow motion as she drew the sword up. 'This is for you Shadow...' she thought and closed her eyes. She focused all her good wishes into the sword, and much to her surprise, a beam of pink light shot out from it and washed over Nate's body.  
  
The light quickly faded and Amy stood there, for a moment quiet as a mouse, so surprised that the sword responded to her that she forgot to breathe until she began feeling light headed. After a breath, she spoke, "Nate?" Sadly, he didn't move.  
  
Amy loosened her grip on the sword and let it rest at her side, the tip gently rested on the ground. "I knew it wouldn't work..." She sighed heavily. She turned to leave yet again, and rested her hand on the knob. She didn't feel like turning it right now. She didn't feel like going anywhere. Where could she go? What could she do? She couldn't revive the one person who might have done some good... She sighed again. "Worthless ol' Amy... No wonder Sonic likes that snot Sally over me! At least she's got brains, a plan of action, and some way of accomplishing her goals..." she grumbled bitterly and jealously at once.  
  
She threw the door open haphazardly, and finally was on her way, except for the soft whine of an old man's voice that reached her dainty little ears. "You're not worthless Amy."  
  
All her fears and doubts rapidly left her and joy sprang up in her quick as a bullet out of the barrel. She twirled around and smiled at the outstretched arms of one Nate Morgan. "You're alive!" She smiled brightly, and ran to give him a hug.  
  
"Amy..." he said softly, "I did hear you, what you said." She looked a bit embarrassed and let go of the Robo-overlander. "You've got a big heart Amy, that's for certain. And you haven't been worthless... your words have done more than you know. Now come on, let's see this Shadow you spoke of..."  
  
****  
  
Night swept over Knothole Village more swiftly than usual it seemed, and darker too. The news that Nate Morgan was now mobile had spread through Knothole very quickly, though as to how it had happened wasn't said. Amy Rose had returned the sword to Sally, and the scientist had looked Shadow over however. Now it was just a matter of time, of waiting, to see if anything could be done, if.  
  
Waiting is always the hardest part isn't it? Not knowing what comes next...  
  
Sonic paced around his hut trying to calm down, but to no avail. Even with the news nate was alive and well, his relief was short lived. "Sonic, I can't work with you looking over my shoulder like that!" Nate had said to him. It was so bad at one point, Geoffrey St. John had to escort him out of the Infirmary... The waiting was driving Sonic nuts to the point where he couldn't even stand pacing in his hut anymore.  
  
The Hedgehog started for the door, and flung it open swiftly. An Alarmed pink hedgehog gasped in surprise, getting an equally startled yell from Sonic. "AMY! What the... What are you doing here?"  
  
The Hedgehog jumped back a step. "I... I was just coming to see you." She said nervously, stroking her hair back with her fingers.  
  
Sonic calmed almost instantly, "Sorry I startled you." He sighed softly. One hand remaned balled in a fist, but he was trying to relax at least... "Have you... heard anything about Shadow?" Amy shook her head. "thought so.."  
  
Amy's eyes darted around, looking from the grassy ground to the star studded sky. She just couldn't look at Sonic for some reason, and that made her feel bad, Sonic felt the same about her so the two seemed kind of downcast. "Where... were you going Sonic?"  
  
Sonic shrugged, "Just out for a walk. My legs are itchin' to run tonight." He smiled, then laughed, "Can't keep me down long eh?" He felt somewhat normal for a minute, like his old self. That made the girl hedgehog smile brightly.  
  
"Right. Sonic... Would you mind walking with me?" She said a lil' quieter than usual, but loud enough to be heard without straining.  
  
"Yeah, sure Amy." As if for the first time, Sonic noticed that it was night, "Man it gets dark fast... How late is it?"  
  
"It's after 2 in the morning Sonic." she replied meekly.  
  
"What? No way!" Sonic blinked, assimilating the information. "W... Why aren't you in bed?"  
  
Amy shrugged, "I had trouble sleeping."  
  
"Y-yeah..." Sonic nodded, "Me too."  
  
***  
  
The two of them walked in the dark of the night around Knothole. All the huts were pitch black in the windows. Only the infirmary's lights and the natural soft glow of phosfire plants illuminated the place or their path ahead. They walked on in silence for quite some time. Whenever one would try to speak, only a defeated sigh would escape.  
  
"Do you think Shadow will be okay?" She spoke up as they began walking the bordering woods of Knothole.  
  
"I don't know Amy." He replied. He glanced up at the sky, and felt a kind of pain well up in him. 'We met down here, but you shined brightest up there... in the sky. It's perfect for you isn't it? The whole sky's a black shadow...' he thought to himself.  
  
"I made him promise me that he wouldn't."  
  
"Huh?" Sonic focussed on the girl next to him once more. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Just what I said," She shrugged, "I made him promise me he won't die! That he'll keep fighting and holding on. So..." She smiled finally, a frown really didn't fir the girls' face well. "He can't die."  
  
"Say what?" Sonic laughed. He shook his head, but a smile was there, at least for now. "Why am I even surprised? I mean, you somehow took him from evil bystander waitin' for the world to collapse, to savin' our skins." He paused a moment, then added "I might have been able to take the prototype on the first time, but... I was running on fumes at that point, I don't know if I coulda' held out."  
  
Amy shook her head, "No, you're a..."  
  
"A hero?" Sonic smirked. "Yeah, I guess I am. But there's something Tails knows that you don't." He saw the questioning look in her eyes then glanced up at the stars. "I have my limits Amy. There's some times I can't be there... Like when Tails had to save Station Square... and on ARK... When he saved you." at the end part, he looked Amy softly in the eyes, and for once, she shied away. 'something's changed.'  
  
"I know that Sonic." She said, but she didn't really believe it. Good must always overcome evil. Heroes can't die. You can never give up hope. I will always believe, no matter what. That was Amy's thinking, it had been since she was very small. Well, smaller. She was actually a couple years younger than Tails, but thanks to the wish she made, she'd suddenly advanced him by maybe a year, but she was still a kid in her wondering heart. A few years growth spurt doesn't change what's in a persons' heart, and in a way that relieved Sonic. She had always been his biggest fan... always. "But, could you... let me pretend for a while?" She finally smiled up to her hero.  
  
"Pretend?" Sonic blinked.  
  
"Yeah!" She practically shouted and grabbed Sonic's hand. Suddenly, the two of them were blushing as she drew her head up to look him in the eyes. "I wanna pretend, Heroes never die. That means you... and Shadow." Her eyes half lidded in a thoughtful affectionate sort of way, a twinkle in them that was more grown up than her millions of dreams and hopes. Yeah the world could be a dark place, a prison for some, but if life's about attitudes, Amy would keep hers the way it was, happy or at least content.  
  
Sonic laughed, "Amy, I'm not going anywhere." He smiled, but he didn't mean it. He was somewhere else now, on the ARK, at least in his mind, at least in his heart he was. With Shadow. 'I must defeat all the evil the Professor made.' Shadow said. When they fought, it was undoubtedly the toughest battle he had ever been in. Despite Shadows' wolf-like rage, and Sonic's cool under pressure, it had kind of been fun. If he'd had a brother, would he have been like Shadow? The countless numbers of possibilities flashed by him, taking that one spar into a life long sibling rivalry. 'Yeah, it would be fun.'  
  
"So.. let's pretend. Please Sonic?" Her face practically glowed. "Please..? Could you... you... be Shadow... just tonight?"  
  
"What!?" if the blue blur had been walking at the time, he most assuredly would have tripped over his own two feet and slammed face first into the ground. "Whoaaa...Amy... Pretend I'm Shadow? Just what are you thinking?!"  
  
Embarrassment washed over the girl instantly, and her whole body seemed to deepen two shades of pink. What was she thinking? She didn't quite know what to say. It was an instant of eternity, her heart beat, her breathing, Sonic's eyes boring into her like a drill. Even the wind had completely stop, like the world was breathless for once. All she could think about was Shadow lying there in bed, now, dying. She'd wakened Nate, but would it be in time? Would it be enough? Shadow hardly even knew her, but when he held her... it was like peace. "I... I'm just a silly little girl..." She laughed humorlessly. She felt safety with Sonic, but also distance - because he really loved Sally, any fool in Knothole knew that truth, even if the two hadn't openly admitted it.  
  
Sonic shook his head, "No, C'mon Amy, tell me. Okay? Whatever it is, your secret's safe with me."  
  
Her head tilted slightly to the side, trying to avoid Sonic's gaze. It was no use however, tonight he wouldn't take any no's for an answer. "I want a hero Sonic. Someone just for me, who will never let me down..."  
  
"And you think that's Shadow?" Sonic said, his jaw dropping at the end of his words. Yeah, he knew he and Amy weren't really meant to be, but... maybe he wanted to pretend too, that someone would always be cheering just for him. The two of them were silent again, for a long time, "I'm not Shadow Amy... but tonight that doesn't matter okay? Shadow never lets things bother him, so let's do the same." He smiled, and the two of them laughed once more.  
  
****  
  
"I've done all I can for him." Nate said, after going over the hundredth sample that night.  
  
"So then, there's nothing at all we can do?" Dr. Quack said.  
  
"Practically? No. I think we can modify Ring energy to reconstruct his DNA, but it's solidifying it that's the hard part." Although still with a mechanical body, he wiped his brow out of habit as though he had cold sweat upon it. If robots could feel, he could feel it now, or perhaps imagined, a trace file of who he was before his transformation. But that was trivial now to the task at hand.  
  
"Well where do we start? At this rate, he won't hold out much longer." The duck quacked at him.  
  
"Agreed. I hate to make hasty decisions, but we simply must operate now or never." The two of them nodded grimly, and then headed toward their patient. If Shadow weren't already on life support, they could have told him perhaps, what was ahead. Even if they had, it may not have done much difference. "I guess it's now then. My apologies in advance Shadow..."  
  
****  
  
'I have always been alone.' Shadow thought. He could picture himself, curled into a fetal position, wrapped in the blanket of outer space. It was cold there, and dark. Endless miles of darkness lay before him, dotted with the starlight like snowflakes on a black velvet sheet. 'I was born in the cold loneliness of space, and here I will die.'  
  
His eyes slitted open. His body couldn't, or didn't move much, not that he had much feeling. As he looked around however, he could see Mobius below him, and the moon beyond that. A whole moon. 'It's a blue jewel in the night.' He thought, and stretched his hand out for it. It was so beautiful, the gentle roll of the clouds, the Floating Island gently drifting amongst them. It took his breath away and he yearned to be a part of it all, below, now.  
  
"Shadow."  
  
The soft voice drew his attention at once. "Maria!" he called, seeing the ARK float in the night sky with him, and a ghost image of Maria's gentle form holding a hand out for him over the ARK.  
  
"Shadow.. I'm waiting!" The girl smiled, and as she turned disappeared, leaving the inky black spherical space station looming ominously in the sky. The midnight black hedgehog's heart lightened immensely and he suddenly sprang from his huddled mass.  
  
"Maria wait, I'm coming!" He smiled brightly for a change, and in his attempt to get to the ARK, it appeared as though he was swimming. The ARK was so far away, and he moved so slowly through the dead vacuum. Minutes passed, hope waned... His pace slowed. "I'm Sorry Maria..." he sighed, and closed his eyes, drifting at the crawl space allows him.  
  
""You ungrateful people of earth!" The old man's voice wheezed. "You will all know my pain and despair!" Shadow's head bobbed up to the ARK, over which the last video footage of Dr. Gerald Robotnik played. His eyes narrowed, 'Am I part of that revenge too Doctor? What happened to making me... the Ultimate Life Form? For the good of mankind?' his mind scoffed.  
  
Hate burned inside of him, quite literally. In his blind hatred for the one who created him, he felt like his body was ripping apart. "NO!" he shouted in his loudest voice. the pain was unbearable but he could not escape it or dull it... he writhed in agony, trying to get it to stop. draw himself into that cold fetal position again. It was like four chains held his hands and ankles, drawing him in all directions at once. "Stop this madness!" he cried.  
  
"Do it for them Shadow..." the girl's voice called again as the Doctors' ragged voice called "You will know my despair!"  
  
Horrified, Shadow looked up from the invisible chains that held him at the ARK. Gunfire filled his head, he was taken back... back to the day the military boarded ARK. The violent images of bloodshed entered his mind. No, he wasn't born simply in the cold of night, he was born into violence. Flames swirled around his body, and through that fiery vision, he saw the ARKs' tip open wide, the cannon, aimed at Earth. 'I must destroy...' "AHHHHHH!" The flames singed his fur and seared all around him. The chains grew tighter, causing him to struggle all the more.  
  
'There's no point in trying, there's no way to save anyone...' his mental voice came back to him, the day the Biolizard attacked.... 'There's no use.' he thought now. 'I should just give up... I can't get anywhere.'  
  
His fists uncurled, the flames died. The Chains still held him stiffly in the air with his head hung low. The pain was fading, he was growing numb, cold, like the space around him. "I was right... there's no way... to save anyone... no point in trying." He sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the cannon powering up. "It's just a matter of time..."  
  
His eyes closed, and his spirit, a blue ghostly aura of himself, slipped outside his earthly prison. Everything was silent, but somehow brighter. The Stars, the glowing blue of the planet, the green glow from the emerald powered cannon, and now he could see himself as he was. "I am a Shadow." He sighed, looking at his body. It hung there, lifeless in space, but now he could see the chains choking him, the fire set around him. He could see more than that too, as he examined things closer. He saw the demons gleefully pulling the chains, the banshees wailing their death filled cries in his ears, the hell fire encasing his body. Beyond that was nothing, nothing but more obstacles. Even if he escaped the chains and flames, he'd fly willingly into the spears of ghostly horsemen. It was a trail of misery. He turned to see if there was any way out, there seemed to be none. More demons with chains circled the earth and the ARK. It was the sound of doom, and nothing cried out against it.  
  
"Now, you know my misery...." The doctor's voice called, the first he'd heard in this cruel place for what seemed like eternity. He didn't need to look back. "I made you, but I was wrong..."  
  
Shadow turned to the pale ghost image of his... his creator. "I was... a mistake?"  
  
"I thought I was God...." he hung his head in shame, "But I was wrong. That hell is meant for me. That is my torture, my punishment... and so much worse... Maria was innocent..." he recited sadly, "but this does not have to be your path.."  
  
"I did what I could, what's the point? Nothing's changed..." he said with a depressed sigh.  
  
"The road to hell they say, is paved with good intentions. That is exactly what you were born from. But why? I had no boundaries, no direction, I... was blind. You shouldn't need a reason to be kind, Maria was like that, but... you have an advantage I didn't."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Direction. Find it fast if you can." He said, then faded out of all existence.  
  
He glanced back at the space station's cannon, gathering its energies. It was a perfect replay of history, but in such slow motion, he could barely perceive movement. "there is now point." He said, drifting back to his tortured body. "There is nothing left for me, I have no direction. No point now... just... throw it all away."  
  
Every star in the sky faded black. The only celestial beings hanging in the sky were the Planet, the moon, the sun, the Space Station ARK, and Shadow's body... 'there is nothing left.. No one can break me, nobody can tear me... It's my fate, to be here, in this endless nothing forever.'  
  
"Shadow!" A voice pierced through the darkness and the stars all illuminated once again, blinding the dark hedgehog with red streaks.  
  
"Wha!?" His eyes shot open suddenly. Before him, on the blue planet below, was an image, not Maria this time... "Amy Rose? What are you doing there?"  
  
"Please Mr. Shadow! Don't Die! You promised...!" the girl pleaded with her hands clasped together in prayer.  
  
"Amy... I can't..." he said softly.  
  
"Give it up" One of the invisible demons whispered in his ear. "throw it all away" Another hissed. "You'll live an endless life forever..."  
  
"Shadow! I beg you!" The voice grew stronger.  
  
"Maria..." He said softly, even though it was Amy's figure still visible. Tears formed and hung as a small drops on the edge of Shadow's lashes. He felt so helpless, how could he do anything against the darkness and demons that plagued him?  
  
"Please Shadow!" Amy's arms opened wide for a hug. Another human appeared beside her. "Aren't we still friends?" She cried softly. "Shadow... this is the reason you were born. Don't give into the darkness! See the light? You do, I know you do..." Maria's voice called to the hedgehog's heart. "Our promise..."  
  
"Shadow!" the voices yelled once again as the cannon fired. It struck, but did not destroy the planet. Instead, the images of Maria, Amy Rose, and Mariell shattered into a million pieces.  
  
"NO!" Shadow cried at the top of his lungs, and for the first time since he got here, despite the burning pain and the pull of the chains, found the strength to break them. "NO! It can't end like this! NOOO!" he growled bitterly and turned to the ARK.  
  
The ARK was powering up again, it seemed much faster than before. "All you ungrateful people, will know my misery!" Dr. Gerald's image appeared over the ARK once more.  
  
"No! I can't let you destroy... this... planet!" He struggled and yelled out to the darkness as fire and pain surged through him. "I won't let you... destroy.. hope!"  
  
The Cannon fired again. A fire rose in Shadow, but a different kind than the ones that had been searing his tired and weary body. Now, he felt a fresh energy in him, power. Real power. 'Is this.. the true power of Chaos Control?' he thought. No time for amazement however. His body changed... No longer dark black with red streaks, he was a silver shining being with red streaks. In that instant all the demons left him, and he had perfect focus. "Chaos... Control!" He yelled, and surged at breakneck speed into the path of the beam.  
  
"I will throw it all away!" he yelled, throwing his hands up against the wall of energy surging toward him. "I will throw away all this darkness!" He roared. The energy was forced back at the ARK til it was completely engulfed in Chaos Energy. Shadow hung there in the air breathless, looking at his home, the place he'd been born, as it began to blow apart. He watched until a bright light consumed him... 'What now?' he thought tiredly, 'What... what is this?'  
  
****  
  
It was about 4:15 in the morning when the surgery was done. Both doctor Quack and Nate Morgan looked at each other with long, troubled faces. "It's getting worse instead of better isn't it?" Nate said quietly, hanging his head in grief.  
  
The Feathered avian sighed, "You did what you could Nate. No one could have done better. The formulas you calculated.... it would have taken me weeks." He said apologetically, trying to cheer the man up. "He is still alive though.."  
  
"In a coma." Nate said grimly.  
  
"Still, my projections said he wouldn't last the night... Now.."  
  
Nate cut him off, waving a hand, "No, It's only a matter of time. He's in a coma, and he'll stay there to his last breath." He shook his head again, "I'm afraid there's nothing left but to break the news to the others." Dr. Quack nodded. "Are you coming?"  
  
"No..." Quack said, shaking his head in reply. "I think I'd rather see if there's any Change in our patient's condition."  
  
Another nod, and Nate reached for the door. Before he could open it, Sonic and Amy were standing right there. "Sonic! Amy!" he said in surprise.  
  
"Is he all right Mr. Morgan?" Amy asked impatiently.  
  
"Amy..." Sonic sighed, catching a look from the Doc.  
  
"Well?" She insisted again.  
  
"They're probably busy Am--" As they said that, the monitors hooked up to shadow suddenly went from bad to worse, monitor alarms beeping on and off.  
  
"Oh Shhh....SUGAR!" Quack said, being mindful that Amy was in the room. She growled almost to himself and checked the stats.  
  
"Wh-What's wrong with Shadow?" Amy blinked, almost to the point of hysteric sobbing, she'd had an emotional enough night as it was.  
  
"What the? Oh no.." Nate sighed. "toxins?"  
  
"No... it's too early for the toxins in his body to be a problem... I don't know, it's like..."  
  
"Shadow!" Amy cried, trying to run into the room, only to be caught by Sonics' hand.  
  
"Amy stop it! You can't help.. just let the docs do their job!" He said, but he was just as worried as she was, and it made his quills bristle to be so helpless.  
  
"It's a heart attack or something.." Nate said with frustration and helplessness. "His body's giving out..." The two of them tried what they could, but Dr. Quack was just a general Physician, nit a cardiologist, not was Mr. Nate Morgan a surgeon except perhaps to machines.  
  
"NO!" Amy yelled and broke free of Sonic's grip. "Leave me ALONE!" She screamed and raced for Shadow, sobbing. She arrived, just as his body gave one last shudder, and went limp. "Noo!" She cried, tears streaking down her cheeks. She hunched over Shadow and threw her arms around him. "noo Shadow! Please?"  
  
All three of the men in the room stopped cold. Sonic held his hand out to reach her, but held himself back. "Amy..." he said in a whisper. It about broke all their hearts to see her there, clinging to him and crying..  
  
"Please Mr. Shadow! Don't die! You Promised!" She continued clinging to him, shaking him, trying to revive him, anything. "Please!"...  
  
After a few minutes she knelt by the still body, her head resting on the pillowy edge of the table, her hand resting on his, still sobbing, but gently. No one else in the room had moved an inch since she first ran to him. The room was quiet but for the sounds of sobbing and the machinery nearby. A depressing air drew around them, and a gentle wind blew through the open window.  
  
Then it happened... First the heart monitor started blinking. "What the? That was flat line a minute ago!" Quack exclaimed.  
  
Next, Shadow's hand twitched, and immediately Amy lifted her head with a smile. "I knew you wouldn't give up Shadow!" A groan escaped him as he lifted himself up into a sitting position.  
  
"This is... impossible!" Nate commented, jaw agape.  
  
Sonic just smiled. 'Amy... You really did it. I knew ya' had a big heart, but I never knew just how strong it could be.'  
  
As soon as Shadow sat up, Amy's arms were around his neck. In instant response, he put an arm around her. "It's okay Amy... I... I heard your voice calling me." He said softly, a different voice from what he'd had, not quite as.. well, dark. "Thank you."  
  
****  
  
Shadow made a full recovery in only a matter of days. His mind was full again, of his true past, present, and future. Although welcomed into Knothole by the core freedom fighters, he had something he had to do...  
  
"Shadow... You aren't going to leave... us ... are you? Amy said, pleading him not to go.  
  
"I have to Amy. I promised... I promised a friend I'd see them again. It's time for me to go back to them." He said, packing some food for the trip, remembering how Matthew had done the same for him.  
  
"Will I ever see you again?" She looked up to him with those begging eyes.  
  
"Yes Amy. Of course you will." He smiled softly and knelt down beside her. "Never forget, I promised you." Looking into her eyes.. he saw something, and gently tilted her head up as he bent his head down to give her a soft kiss... good bye.  
  
THE END. 


End file.
